A microbe species found living in a Nevada hot spring was found to feature one of the most amazing cellulose-digesting enzyme in the world. The molecule allows the microorganism to break down the plant material at temperatures nearing 100 degrees Celsius. Cellulose, one of the main materials in plants, cannot be brok... |
6 July 2011
03:52 GMT |
 |
|
A collaboration of American researchers announces that it has successfully completed a long-term effort to characterize the genes and genomes of plant-digesting microbes that live in the rumen (forestomach) of cows and other ruminants.
These microorganisms hold no intrinsic value, but they are able to break down ... |
29 January 2011
15:01 GMT |
|
|
Experts from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) managed to develop a technique for producing high-quality, environmentally friendly products such as bioplastics from fruits, vegetables and plant wastes. This was done by essentially traini... |
19 November 2010
06:24 GMT |
|
|
Cellulose has for a long time been touted as a material that is capable to provide the foundation for a new type of batteries, that could power up small applications. For instance, they could be used in gift wraps, that could light up and say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Birthday.” But what phy... |
26 November 2009
03:09 GMT |
|
|
Cellulose is one of the most promising materials for creating biofuels, and also the key ingredient in plants. It's the basic component of cellular walls, as well as the substance that gives plants shape. But, until now, researchers have been in the dark about how it gets to the place where it's needed. Tha... |
15 June 2009
04:01 GMT |
|
|
Understanding how life evolved on Earth over hundreds of millions of years greatly depends on finding actual signs left behind by ancient life forms. For example, in the case of dinosaurs, fossils pointed towards most of what we known about them now, while insects trapped in amber further provided important evidence ... |
1 August 2008
06:46 GMT |
|
|
Paper consists of mostly cellulose. The new biological nanopaper developed by Lars Berlund from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology is no different, only that it is as strong as cast iron and could be used one day to create strong sticky tape or tough synthetic replacements for biological tissues and stronger c... |
7 June 2008
04:42 GMT |
|
|
Aside from being very unreliable when it comes to retaining an electric charge for long periods of time, typical batteries sometimes also have problems with excessive heating that can make them either explode and start fires, or leak toxic fluids when left unused for long periods of time. Additionally, most of the ti... |
5 June 2008
10:11 GMT |
|
|
Researchers from the University of Texas report that they have developed a method through which large amounts of biofuel can be produced at relatively cheap prices. By using a cyanobacteria, they have been able to produce cellulose that can be easily turned into ethanol and other biofuels. Alternatively, the microbe ... |
24 April 2008
07:12 GMT |
|
|
According to University of North Carolina researchers, the search for extraterrestrial life forms does not necessarily require the find of the actual life forms. Evidence of its existence could be just as rewarding. They reveal that life on Earth could have actually appeared 200 million years earlier than previously ... |
31 March 2008
03:46 GMT |
|
|
Paper is something evanescent and durable at the same time. It is a milestone for the human civilization in the last two millennia. From high quality to ordinary packing paper, toilet paper, pampers, carnival paper clothes or printing paper, all comes from a Chinese idea. People always sought for ideal surfaces for r... |
13 February 2008
10:16 GMT |
|
|
In just a few months, termites can turn a woodhouse into dust. But it is exactly this ability that can deliver us greener biofuel. Their abdomens harbor a treasure of microbes that could deliver enzymes for turning wood or waste biomass into biofuels and a new DNA analysis published in the journal Nature represents a... |
22 November 2007
04:03 GMT |
|
|
If you travel along the African or Australian or South American dry savannas, you will see from far away some strange constructions resembling the towers of a castle. The architects that build them are the termites, insects of the Isoptera, that live in colonies made of millions of individuals. They are called also "... |
20 June 2007
16:31 GMT |
|
|
The whole world is on the rush for biofuel production, as the oil tap seems to stop soon. Corn is currently employed for producing ethanol, but the method proved very little environmentally friendly and comes at the same price as oil. Now, Cornell researchers have discovered a method of producing less expensive cell... |
28 April 2007
07:05 GMT |
|
|
Can you feel any relief before you drink your daily cup of coffee?Well, that's not only because of craving for caffeine, but also because coffee helps you ...poop.A new research found that brewed coffee contains soluble dietary fibers, which help the body absorb vital nutrients, keep a lid on cholesterol and mor... |
14 March 2007
04:05 GMT |
|
|
Find us on Google+
